Collapsible house



Sept. 7,1948.

Filed April 25, 1945 J. T. LAWRENCE GOLLAPS IBLE HOUS E Sept 7, 1948- J. '1'.l LAWRENCE `2,448,895

COLLAPS IBLE HOUSE Filed April 25, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 @www sept. 7, 1948. J, T LAWRNCE 2,448,895

coLLAPsIBLE HOUSE Filed April 25, 1945 7 SheebS--Sheell 40 0 Ja/w 7C Aman/cf Sept. 7, 1948. J. T. LAWRENCE 2,448,895

v COIJLAPSIBLE HOUSE Filed April 25, 1945 7 sheets-sheetA Sept 'A7, `1948. J. T. LAWRENCE 2,448,895

COLLAPS IBLE HOUSE Filed April 25, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 ,40 i me/wrom wmv rama-Ng- @www . Sept l7 1948- J. T. LAWRENCE u 2,448,895

COLLAPS IBLE HOUSE Filed Apr-11 25, 1945 v '1 sheets-sheet e Jam viz/qw/rfwcf Sept. 7, 1948. 'I J. T. LAWRENCE 2,448,895

` coLLAPsIBLE HOUSE '1y sheets-sheet 7 Filed April 25. 1945 SIMM@ Jon/v zMwffA/ce Patented Sept. 7, 1943 UNrreo safes PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE HOUSE John T. Lawrence, Inman, S. C. Application April 25, 1945, Serial No. 590,132

7 Claims.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a collapsible house whichcan be used during war times as temporary quarters for unfortunate families who have been bombed or otherwise displaced from their homes or who have been evacuated or otherwise deprived of their homes.

Still another important object of the `invention is to provide a readily collapsible or knock-down house which can be quickly assembled and which can be used during normal times as a temporary or even long time beach dwelling or camp dwelling. v

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible or knock-down house of the character stated which can be folded or otherwise reduced to a small package easily capable of being stored in the luggage compartment of a present day automobile.

These and various other important objects and advantages lof the invention shall become apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the assembled house with the roof forming cover broken away.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the house.

Figure 3 is a top plan View with a portion ,of the cover broken away.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line d-fl of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line li-I of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on line l-'l of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view taken on line 8*-3 of Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed sectional view taken on line 9 9 of Figures.V

Figure i0 is a fragmentary detailed perspective view showing one upper corner of the assembly.

Figure l1 is a fragmentary detailed perspective View showing one lower corner of the assembly.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the manner in which the rafters and spreaders may be secured by way of modification.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary elevational view showing securing means for the corner posts.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary elevational View showing ground sockets for the cornerposts.

Figure l5 is a section taken on line I5Iliv of Figure 14.

Figure 16 is a perspective view of one` of the post sockets.

Figure 17 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a corner post held in concrete.

Figure 18 is a section taken on line I8-I8 of Figure 17.

Figure 19 is a fragmentary detailed sectional View showing a further form of post fastening means. l

Figure 20 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view of a post fastening means slightlymodified over Figure 19.

Figure 21 is a perspective view of the rope framework.

Figure 22 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through one corner portion of the` canopy to show the rope framework.

lReferring to the drawings wherein like-.nu-fr merals designate like parts, it can be seen vthat the assembly includes a base frame composed of a hub plate or block 5 having a plurality (preferably four) of arms 6 radiating therefrom and hinged thereto as at 1. These arms 6 extend toward the four corners of the house and at their outer ends coact with vertical props B. The props 8 are notched at their lower endsasat 9 to straddle the outer ends of the arms Ii, while their upper ends are notched as at l I0 to straddle the lower ends of hinged rafters II which form part of the upper frame of the house. Y I

The upper frame assembly includes a centrally located head or hub plate I2 to which the upper ends of the rafters II are hinged as at I3. Cleats E4 extend across the top of the hub plate I2 and this plate has an opening therein across which a pin I5 is disposed and from which a rope or other suspending medium I6 is secured. If desired the pin I5 can bridge thercleats I4 and the rope or other suspending medium I6 depend through the opening in the hub plateV I2. At the lower top portion of the rafters II are longitudinally spaced headed studs I1 and on the lower under side portions of these rafters II are notches I8 obliquely disposed as in the manner substantially shown in Figures 1 and 8 so that they will assume a substantially horizontal position when the rafters II are in assembled or inclined position as shown in Figure 1.

A pair of crossed spreaders I9 are interposed between the lower ends of the rafters I I, the ends of the spreaders I9 being tapered or bevelled as at 26) to snugly fit into the corresponding notches I8. To get the desired taut holding effect, the desired notches can be selected.

Where the spreaders I9 cross, the suspending medium or rope I6 is preferably looped around as at 2l and suitably secured, thus tying the upper or super frame with the spreaders I9.

As can be clearly seen in Figures 1 and 10, the lower portion of each of the rafters II is prefer.

ably tapered at its lower side and rests in the.n notch at the upper end of the corresponding' prop 8. Also see Figure 8.

The wall construction of the house consists of sidewalls 2 I, 22, a front wall 23 and a rear wall 24; This wall assembly also has a top wall or4 oei-ling 25 underlying the spreaders I9. It may be desirableto have a flexible floor 2t, althoughthis may.l be a platform built over the frame arms 6; if. desired.

Thevertical walls have a suitable number of door`openings 21 and window openings 2B. The Window openings may have window flaps 29 whereby these openings may be closed, or these openings may be provided with demountable frames'forholding screens or screeningr material.

It is preferable that the interior of the wall structure' have partitions 3l) and other partitions 3| dividing the interior into various rooms 32, 33, 34: and-35cm' opposite sides of a hallway or the like"36-. Various door openings 3l may be provided in the inside walls 30.

Tiel-members' 38 are disposed through grommets:l or eyesr 39I in the upper corners of the wall assembly and these are disposed over the lower ends of. the rafters I I and between certain of the studs I1 provided thereon. Thus the Wall assembly is suspended from the lower ends of the rafters I I;

The lower portion of the wall assemblyis held down by tie members or cords 40 which extend through eyes or grommets in the corners of the wall assembly and pass down under the outer ends of. the lower frame arms 6.

A' cover sheet also of some suitable material suoh as waterproofed canvas and denoted by numeral 4I is disposed over the super frame, beirigisupported by the-rafters. I I and the hub plate I2. This: cover 4I extends down to substantially overlap the vertical walls of the wall assembly andfhas loopsltZy at its corner portions which are disposedov'er thev endmost headed studs Il, thus deflnitely'securing the protective cover lll from displacement.

In` assembling the house, the lower or base frame is unfolded and laid out on the ground with the arms 6 extended. The wall assembly is now disposed over this frame and the lower ties 4'0'fsecured'to the outer ends of the arms 6, as in the manner substantially shown in Figure 11.

The' super'frame is now spread out over the collapsed Wall assembly and over this canr be temporarily placed-,1 the spreaders IS.

On'e of the rafters II is now lifted over a corresponding'. arm B, and' a prop 8 interposed between the outer ends of the rafter and arm, after whicha-diagonally opposite rafter can be lifted and: another prop interposed between its outer end; andthe underlying arm S. This is repaired withY the remainingA two props and while being held; they spreaders I9 are interposed between the rafters I I, the same having their tapered ends 20- disposed into selected notches I8 of the raftersyfor'the purpose of thus spreading the assembly.- Itispreferable that the ties 38 be disposed overt-he lower ends of the rafters II before this spreadingI operation, because the use of the spreaders I8 serves to draw the entire structure taut and prevents any shimmying or vibration. This Will draw the various walls of the wall assembly taut, so that screens may be placed in thedo'ors andwindow openings.

The cover 4I isnow disposed over the super frame, down over the rafters I I and the loops d2 are pulled and stretched over the selected studs I.'I. as shown in Figure 2.

It'ispreferable that the cover sheet lil and thefwall assembly be constructed of rubberized canvas or -canvas or other fabric or in fact any otnefex'ibie-sneet material that will shed or exclude water and other inclement weather conditions.

Itmay be desirable to provide some carrier bag or wraping'for' the collapsed building, but this may be constructed to accommodate the peculiarities ofv the compacted structure.

vItrriay', be that later, such materials as plastcsfm'ay be employable instead of Wood in the construction lof thev framework.

I-tisdesirabl. tliat n'o nails or other driven elements be employed in the setting up or knocking'down vof'tlie struotu're. It may become necessary to employ latchesV and eyes or other fastening-means for certain parts, but it is thought that the structure as represented above will not only be durablcbut sturdy in all conditions of weather, especially under windy conditions, due to the flexible make-up'of'the entire structure.

History has also established that after Wars whenpeoplehave accepted more or less packed living conditions, the tendency is to expand and housingbec'omes moreof a problem than actually during war times. Then most people have the inclinationto seek suburban environments, especially beaches and other isolated places. This natural expansion can be even promoted with ahousing construction such as is herein disclosed.

Figure 2'1'Idiscloses-the skeleton or rope frame for thevwall structure, this frame consisting of upper and lower rope flights 50, 5I which extend around the perimeter of the house and over which the. top, i side, and bottom walls extend, these flightsll; 5I beingconnected at their corners by verticalirope sections 52V and adjacent the corners, tl'e flights 5D, 5I are braced by vertically disposed and crossed rope sections 53. Obviously the cornerrope sections 52 in complement with the orossedvbracing rope sections 53 serve to stabilize the frane and to definitely define a given formpredetermined by the builder.

Obviously various other modifications of this rope framework lcan be resorted to as conditions justify- The base or subframe 5, 6 may be dispensed with if cornerV post retention means such as is shown in Figures 14 to 2O inclusive are resorted to.

For instance; Figures 14, 15 and 16 show a socket 54 having lateral' apertured ears 55 through. which. stakes 56 are driven and into the ground X (seeFig'ure 14), the socket 54 beingadapted to snugly receive the lower end of a corresponding corner post 8a, there being four of these posts for a medium sized square house. E'aohfof tle'seeockets 54' has an eye 5l through whioha tie cord alla is disposed for holding down the lower adjacent corner of the wall structure (see Figure 14and also Figure 15).

Agrouri'd'embedded frame 58 of wood or some other suitable material may have corner posts 8b" resting thereon and secured thereto by angle meinbersl 59, which are apertured to receive screws 6Il` driven both into the Wooden frame 5B and the lower portion of the corresponding post 8b. An eyebolt 6|, equipped with a nut 62 may be disposed through the lower portion of the post 8b to define an anchor for a tie cord 4Gb, as shown in Figure 19.

A third means for eliminating the sub or base frame structure is shown in Figures 17 and 18 wherein the lower portion of a corner post 8c is embedded in a concrete ground inlaid foundation 63, this corner post being provided with an eyebolt 64 to accommodate a tie cord 40C.

A further form is shown in Figure 20, wherein bolts 60a may be used in conjunction with angle members 59a to secure the angle members to a ground inlaid wooden frame 58, the upper portions of the elements 59a being secured to the lower portion of the corresponding post 8d.

Thus it can be seen that the foregoing means of securing the lower ends of the corner posts in place eliminate the use of any ground framework underlying the house proper to the end that the ground itself may be used as the floor for the building.

Another factor to be given consideration is that to hold the corner post Bh ilrmly to the members 6h of the ground frame and to any other members of the ground or sub frame that may be employed, bolts 65 pass through the post and the end portions of the members of the sub frame.

As can be seen in Figure 10, the bars i9, their ends, t into notches I8 of the rafters Il. Of course, these spreaders or bars i9 may be tied to the rafters H or bolted thereto as seen llt.

Figure 12 shows how spreaders ma may be secured to rafters Ila, this by bevelling the ends of the spreaders and securing the same against the rafters lla by bolts 58. Further, the ends of the rafters Ha may rest directly upon the upper ends of corner posts 8i where they are secured by screws 69.

While the foregoing description sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A collapsible house comprising a flexible wall assembly, an elevated supporting frame and means supporting the wall assembly by the elevated frame, said supporting frame consisting of a hub and a plurality of hinged rafters, a base structure, prop means between the base structure and the rafters and tie means between the flexible wall assembly and the rafters, and a spreader interposed b-etween the rafters, said rafters being provided with notches for receiving the ends of the spreader.

2. A collapsible house comprising -a flexible wall assembly, an elevated supporting frame and means supporting the wall assembly by the elevated frame, said supporting frame consisting of a hub and a plurality of hinged rafters, a base structure, prop means between the base structure and the rafters and tie means between the flexible wall assembly and the rafters, and a spreader interposed between the rafters, said rafters being provided with notches for receiving the ends of the spreader, said hub structure of the supporting frame provided with a depending element secured to the intermediate portion of the spreader.

3. A collapsible house comprising a roof frame,

outer ends of the base frame and the outer ends of the rafters for supporting the roof frame and holding the side wall structure vertically taut and a canopy for the roof frame.

4. A collapsible house comprising a roof frame, said roof frame comprising a hub portion and radially disposed rafters, a base frame, a flexible side wall structure having some elasticity and being secured at its upper and lower corner portions to the outer ends of the rafters and base frame respectively, posts interposed between the outer ends of the base frame and the outer ends of the rafters for supporting the roof frame and holding Ithe side wall structure vertically taut and a canopy for the roof frame, and a spreader structure having portions interposed between the end portions of the rafters.

5. A collapsible house comprising a roof frame, said roof frame comprising a hub portion and radially disposed rafters, a base frame, a flexible side wall structure having some elasticity and being secured at its upper and lower corner portions to the outer ends of the rafters and base frame respectively, posts interposed between the outer ends of the base frame and the outer ends of the rafters for supporting the roof frame and holding the side wall structure vertically taut, a canopy for the roof frame, and a spreader structure having portions interposed between the end portions of the rafters, said spreader being provided with a tie connection between its intermediate portion and the hub structure of the roof frame.

6. A collapsible house comprising a roof frame, said roof frame comprising a hub portion and radially disposed rafters, a base frame, a flexible side wall structure having some elasticity and being secured at its upper and lower corner portions to the outer ends of the rafters and base frame respectively, posts interposed between the outer ends of the base frame and the outer ends of the rafters for supporting the roof frame and holding the side wall structure vertically taut and a canopy for the roof frame, the outer end portions of the rafters being formed with longitudi nally spaced notches, crossed members defining -a spreader structure, the ends of the crossed members being disposed in the notches, some give being allowed by the roof frame rafters due to the flexible and elastic nature of the side wall structure.

7. A collapsible house comprising a roof frame, said roof frame comprising a hub portion and radially disposed rafters, a base frame, a flexible side wall structure having some elasticity and being secured at its upper and lower corner portions to the outer ends of the rafters and base frame respectively, posts interposed between the outer ends of the base frame and the outer ends of the rafters for supporting the roof frame and holding the side wall structure vertically taut, a canopy for the roof frame, the outer end portions of the rafters being formed with longitudinally spaced notches, crossed members defining a spreader structure, the ends of the crossed members being disposed in the notches, some give being allowed by the roof frame rafters due to the flexible and elastic nature of the side wall,

`8 structure, and Ta, tie `c orxrnaotol; ,between the UNITED STATESPATENTS crossed portions of said .spreaderrlembersyand the hub porton'of the w.roof ,frame. Number Name Date 413,730 Palmer 0613.29, 1889 .JQ-HN T LAWRENCE". V673,32?? Reeve Apr. 30, 1901 11,374,300 Henry Apr. 12, 1921 REFERENGESOITED 1,633,820 Long v June 28, 1927 1,827,729 Brooks Oct. 20, 1931 The following references are of record ,in the 1,328,656 Handler v Oct. 20, 1931 e of this patent: 2,311,516 Y,Bridge Feb. 16, 1943 

